It comes in a paper bag, hot enough to warm your hand through it. You bite one end, and the pastry shatters: flakes on your shirt, flakes on the pavement, a soft filling of ricotta or spiced peas in the middle. Nobody in Malta eats a pastizz neatly, and nobody expects you to. This is the island's everyday snack, eaten for breakfast, between meetings, after school and at two in the morning on the way home.
What are pastizzi?
A pastizz (plural pastizzi) is a small savoury pastry made from very thin layers of dough. The dough is stretched until it is almost transparent, brushed with fat, rolled into a long coil and cut into pieces. Each piece is pressed out, filled and folded, and in the oven those layers separate into the crisp, flaky shell that makes pastizzi so messy and so good.
There are two classic fillings:
- Pastizzi tal-irkotta: filled with ricotta, sometimes with a little egg. Mild, creamy and the one most first-timers choose.
- Pastizzi tal-piżelli: filled with mushy peas cooked with onion and a gentle curry spice. Locals are split on which is better, and the argument is part of the fun.
Traditionally the shape tells you the filling. Ricotta pastizzi are usually folded into a pointed diamond, and pea pastizzi are rounder. Shops vary, so if in doubt, ask.
Pastizzi and qassatat
On the same counter you will often see qassatat. They use the same fillings, plus spinach and anchovy or other seasonal mixes, but the pastry is a soft shortcrust gathered into a round parcel. They are less messy and more filling. If you are not sure you can face the flakes, start here.
How much do pastizzi cost?
At a pastizzeria, the small shops that specialise in them, pastizzi usually cost well under a euro each, which makes them some of the best value food in Europe. Cafés and hotel bars charge more. Most pastizzerias open early in the morning, and a few in busier towns stay open very late or around the clock.
Where to eat pastizzi
There are pastizzerias in almost every town on Malta and Gozo, and the best one is often simply the closest one with a fresh tray coming out of the oven. Watch for a queue of locals and a steady turnover: pastizzi are best eaten within minutes of baking.
The most famous is the Crystal Palace bar on Triq San Pawl in Rabat, known to everyone as Is-Serkin, just outside the walls of Mdina. Its English name dates from the years when British soldiers from the Crystal Palace area of London, stationed nearby at Mtarfa, made it their regular stop.
Today it serves taxi drivers, locals on their way to work and visitors fresh from Mdina, often at the same counter. Combine it with our guide to Mdina and Rabat and you have a perfect morning.
How to eat them like a local
- Order two. One of each filling is the usual way to settle the ricotta or peas question.
- Let them cool for a minute. The filling holds heat far longer than the pastry suggests.
- Keep the bag. It catches the flakes. Eat standing outside or on the nearest bench.
- Add a drink. Tea or coffee in the morning, or a cold bottle of Kinnie, Malta's bitter orange soft drink, any time of day.
- Go early or go late. Mid-morning is when trays turn over fastest, and late at night is when pastizzi become the island's favourite way to end a long evening.
Where pastizzi came from
Nobody knows exactly. Food writers point to the island's long links with Sicily and the wider Arab Mediterranean, where layered and filled pastries have a long history, and the pea filling is often credited to British influence. What is certain is that pastizzi have been a fixture of Maltese life for generations and that the price has stayed low enough for everyone to keep eating them.
More Maltese food to try
Once you have had pastizzi, work through the rest of the street food and the market table: bigilla, the garlicky bean dip; the small sheep's milk cheeses called ġbejniet; date-filled imqaret; and Gozo's ftira. Our guide to Maltese food puts them all in order.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pastizz?
Flaky pastry filled either with ricotta (tal-irkotta) or with mushy peas cooked with onion and spice (tal-piżelli).
How much are pastizzi in Malta?
Usually well under €1 each at a pastizzeria. Cafés and bars charge more.
Where are the best pastizzi in Malta?
The most famous are at Crystal Palace, or Is-Serkin, in Rabat near Mdina. Any busy pastizzeria with a fresh tray is a good bet.
Are pastizzi vegetarian?
The fillings are meat-free, but traditional pastry is often made with animal fat, so ask at the counter if that matters to you.
What is the difference between pastizzi and qassatat?
Pastizzi use flaky, layered pastry. Qassatat use a softer shortcrust and come as round parcels with similar fillings.
